Croatia’s criminal justice system is swamped with human trafficking cases, representing nearly 15% of the cases that went through the country’s entire prison system in 2022, justice ministry data shows, Večernji List daily reported on Monday.
Of the 12,000 individuals who passed through Croatia’s entire prison system in 2022, nearly 15% were individuals related to cases of human trafficking, with local media investigation reporting that they can earn around €2,000 for every person smuggled.
Croatia lies on the popular Western Balkans route, which runs from Greece and Albania through Bosnia and Herzegovina to Croatia – the first Schengen Area country on the route. Most migrants cross the eastern border with Bosnia on foot, hoping to reach wealthier countries in Western Europe.
More than 650 people suspected or convicted of human trafficking from more than 50 countries are currently in custody. While irregular migrants attempting to cross the border caught by border police usually apply for asylum – which grants them a seven-day deadline to leave the country – traffickers stay in the justice system for years, often receiving a lengthy prison sentence and a fine.
According to police data, over 60,000 migrants applied for asylum in the first ten months of 2023 – almost five times as many as in 2022. However, the vast majority of applicants are thought to have simply continued their journey after applying without waiting for their request to be reviewed by Croatian authorities.
In that period, the largest single group by country of origin were Afghans (21,195), followed by Turkish (10,512), Moroccans (5,910) and Pakistanis (5,100).
The authorities in central Croatia’s Karlovac seem to be bearing the brunt of the burden, as popular trafficking routes pass through the area.
As a result of the increase in arrivals, neighbouring Slovenia introduced police checks in areas bordering Croatia in October last year, which are still in force.
The interior ministers of both countries – along with Italy’s – met earlier this month to coordinate efforts to tackle human trafficking and irregular migration in the region.
(David Spaic-Kovacic | Euractiv.hr)
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Source: euractiv.com
